Hello from Conil de la Frontera

Hi Everybody! I feel like kind of a stalker here, reading and enjoying your posts but not commenting or posting. But now that we are settled in and I have my laptop out, I’ll be able to be a bit more active.

As many of you know, I am no longer in Munich but on an extended trip, a temporary escape from winter at home. Here in Conil, on the Atlantic coast of Andalusia, the temperature has been around 20°C since we arrived over a week ago. It’s about the best weather you can find in Europe at this time of year.

We drove here in our car but I kept my eyes open for bicycles wherever we were – and saw very few. The first stop was in Freiburg, still in Germany. There I got some bicycle shots at the morning market on the main square where the cathedral is located.

No more bicycle sightings until we were in Cahors, pretty far south in France. Not the right season for bicycles and also not the right roads.

Rainy streets of Cahors and a solitary bicycle

In Spain our first stop was Burgos, a beautiful city and bicyle friendly. They even had a bicycle lane next to the river and through a park.

Bicycle parking in BurgosCyclist in Burgos

We visited some spectacular cities in Spain – Avila, Segovia, Toledo, Cordoba. All with cobbled streets and often steep. In the historic centers of these towns cars are banned – the narrow streets are not made for cars. But not really for bicycles either. You are best off on foot.

After 13 days, it was a slow car trip, we reached Conil. Here I have seen a few cyclists out for a Sunday ride. Once in a while I see someone using a bicycle to get around town, but not very often.

In Conil – one of the guys in this group rode down the stairs on his mountain bike but I wasn’t fast enough to catch him with my camera. This guy rode down the ramp.You can see Conil, one of Andalusia’s pueblos blancos, in the background.

I guess there wasn’t much bicycle relevant information here but traveling by car just doesn’t expose you to the roads you would be riding on a bike. There is more about our trip on my blog, with pictures of course. If you care to have a look, click HERE.

I'm a US born ex-pat, having lived most of my adult life in Munich, Germany. I have three kids and eight grandchildren - so I'm pretty old. Cycling, photography and walking are my favorite things.

10 response to "Hello from Conil de la Frontera"

By: NancyG Posted: December 11, 2018

How delightful to see you here Suzanne! The buildings, roads and surroundings you have been driving through are beautiful. And what a great thing to visit where you and Janos first met! Very special. I enjoyed your entire blog and all of your photos. Thanks for your post and for leading us to your blog ;’-) I know you are most likely missing riding your bike, but what you are doing makes the winter more pleasant, and you will be riding again in a few months.

Thanks for your warm welcome back, Nancy! Yes, we did see a lot of beautiful things on our way here. But you’re right, I miss my bike. Often when in the car I tried to imagine if I would want to cycle where we were and in winter. Often the answer was yes. After a day in the car I was usually just as tired as after a day when traveling by bike. Next time I’ll just follow your example and cycle through the winter.

What a great trip getting to Conil! Meandering along enjoying the sites along the way!
Appreciate the photos along the way and the bicycles — seems like mountain bikes are the thing there too — I watched the video Klunkerz which is the history of mountain biking, very interesting, but not for me!
Enjoy your time, Id guess there are bike rentals around there someplace? The cobblestones dont look too inviting.
Great to see you back on 365!

Hi Rich!
Thanks – nice to be back, too!
Yes, it was a great trip and I would never have gotten to all those wonderful places by bike. Still, driving in a car isn’ the same.
Mountain bikes are popular here. From what I’ve seen, cycling is more a sport than a way of life. That observation is based on the few places I’ve been to, though.
Yes, there are bike rentals but I’m not too interested in biking while we are here. I don’t like rough terrain or roads with traffic and no shoulder, and that’s what is around.
Walking is great though. The beach is wide and long and at low tide very firm. Perfect for walking a fast pace and getting a bit of a work out.

Thanks, Lednar! (You know I love that name!)
Glad you enjoyed my blog and pictures!
Yes, Europe has a lot to offer. So glad these beautiful Spanish cities weren’t devastated in war as so much of Germany was.

Those cobbles are wicked. I didn’t see a single bike in that town! Where we are now I see cyclists out on the weekends mainly, usually on mountain bikes. But I haven’t seen anyone going shopping on a bike – except for some German tourists. The weather is certainly good enough, though.